Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Congressman Blunt - Speech on non-binding resolution

Author's Note: This is a speech I gave today on the House floor during the opening minutes of debate on the Democrats’ non-binding resolution on Iraq. You can also watch the video at my youtube channel:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this resolution. General Petraeus said a resolution like this would discourage the troops, and the Secretary of Defense said a resolution like this would embolden the enemy. This Congress should be doing neither of these things.

What this resolution will not do is take a position on what we should do as we face the challenge of our generation.President Johnson was criticized a generation ago and still today for choosing bombing sites in Vietnam. He was the Commander in Chief; yet he should have left those tactical choices to the military. But his actions made infinitely more sense than this. It’s hard to imagine a group less capable of making tactical decisions about specific troop deployment than 535 Members of Congress.

The resolution today is about the exact number of troops. Will the one tomorrow or next week be a vote on which block in Baghdad to target or which car to stop?The whole speech